Employers need to measure the cost of any given health plan two different ways: premiums and productivity. Premiums are simple but until the Quality Dividend Calculator, nobody gave you a number showing you how Plan X was going to affect employee productivity. But employers need to know that number in order to determine which plan really represents the best value. The 'productivity cost' of a bad health plan can be very, very high. |
Employers should not focus on employee accountability alone. |
Employers should not focus on employee accountability alone. When used in combination with promoting quality care, health management, use of data and appropriate use of care, companies are able to achieve significantly lower cost trends. |
He said we need to get more shots up. We're getting used to it. |
I think they will be looking. It seems to be a cheap fix. |
In addition to employers having to pay out more in health care costs, public opinion is now solidly on the side of eliminating smoking and workers are realizing increasingly that they are having to pay for others' lifestyle choices. |
It doesn't sound like it is any more than most corporations did 15 to 20 years ago. This isn't going to solve their problem at G.M. They're still 15 years behind everybody else. |
It has the potential to help lower both short-term and long-term health costs. |
It's going to radically change medicine. The biggest problem in our country is that we don't have 21st century health IT. |
Leading employers in the U.S. remain committed to helping their employees with health benefits coverage and programs to improve their health and the health of their families. These employers know that one of the most important ways to control costs is to help employees and their families get and stay healthy. |
Making the right purchasing decision involves factoring in a mix of cost and quality measures--but there are no standardized data sets on network costs that allow us to make apples-to-apples comparisons. These new HEDIS measures are a strong step in the right direction. |
Maybe this is the missing piece. ... I like his philosophy: Run the ball, push the ball, but be smart. He emphasizes timing and spacing, changes of speed and direction. |
Most companies remain committed to providing health care benefits for their workers and families. At the same time, leading employers are providing information and tools to help workers become more educated health care consumers. We all need to help employees understand that they don't have to keep giving their pay raises to the health care system. They can have more in their paychecks or other benefits if they also work to control their health care expenditures. Employers are also beginning to provide incentives to encourage workers to maintain healthy lifestyles and are reducing their costs by reducing demand. |
Our members are very excited about this program. Rising health costs are a major challenge for employers and their employees, and this program offers the opportunity to improve quality and consumer decision-making while possibly lowering costs. |
The average we see is more like $12,000 per family, |